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Al-Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who carries a US bounty of US$5 million on his head. -- PHOTO: AP
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BAGHDAD - The US military denied on Friday that Al-Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who carries a US bounty of US$5 million, had been captured by security forces.
State television Al-Iraqiya reported on Thursday that a man calling himself as Masri was captured by Iraqi forces in the northern province of Nineveh.
US military spokeswoman Major Peggy Kageleiry said the detained individual was not Masri.
"They did not catch Abu Hamza al-Muhajir (Masri's alias). Somebody with same name but not connected with him. It is not him," Maj Kageleiry told AFP.
When asked if the military confirmed Muhajir was not in the custody of security forces, she said: "I confirm that."
The United States military in Baghdad said it was checking the reports that Abu Ayyab al-Masri, an Egyptian also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, had been detained.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq was headed by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until he was killed in a US air strike in June 2006. His successor, Masri, was Zarqawi's close associate, and has a US bounty of US$5 million (S$7 million) on his head. -- AFP
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